As I wind down my blogging responsibilities, it feels appropriate to announce that I’m finishing up as Pharmacy Sales Analyst and will take on my next challenge as Assistant Brand Manager for Pest Control -uber excited!

Seeing as  this will be my last blog post, I thought it would be fitting to revisit some of the key points in my first blog post, which was about my reasons for working at RB and how it would help me achieve my goal of having a fulfilling marketing career. Let’s see whether these points still stand true 6 months on…

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Strong portfolio of brands – No doubt this point still rings true. My Sales Analyst/Account Manager role has put me at the forefront of promoting our RB Powerbrands to my customers to ensure support and promotion within their stores. Massive launches of the past 6 months in Australia? Strepsils Cool, Nurofen for Children relaunch, Dettol No Touch Systems and Veet Suprem Essence just to name a few…

My job is certainly made easier when we’re promoting and selling in market-leading brands, which is why I’m really excited to be tackling Mortein in my next role, which has really big brand presence in Australia, as well as Brazil and India. Can’t wait to get my hands dirty and learn how to manage one of RB’s global Powerbrands!

Real ownership and responsibility –I definitely feel that I have had ownership and responsibility in a range of projects and tasks since starting 18 months ago – being able to present our business strategy to the CEO of my account, organizing and managing a stand in a retailer’s staff conference, convincing my buyer to adopt our shelf strategy in their biggest category – just some of the achievements you can also have as a RB graduate!

Challenges are the norm at RB; it’s up to you to decide how to tackle them. It might be tough initially, but it’s only when you retrospectively review your accomplishments after finishing the task that you realise how much you have learnt both personally and professionally. Certainly the experiences gained in the Sales component of the RB Commercial Graduate Program will help me tackle my next role in Marketing.

The Aussie graduates! – Well, what can I say…we’re like one big family! As we’ve gotten to know each other in the office, its great to know that I can always rely on a fellow graduate when I’m stuck in a rut with a project or just need someone to bounce ideas off. Getting the motivation to push yourself to the next level is difficult, but knowing graduates who have been in your situation and ‘broken through the pain barrier’ to get to the next level is certainly encouraging.

We still catch up outside of work, we’re planning a graduate dinner soon but before that, we’re all going to do participate in the City 2 Surf 12km run in a few weeks time…should be fun!

And that’s it folks, I certainly don’t think my reasons for choosing the RB Commercial Graduate Program have changed, in fact, they have merely been reinforced.

Whilst I’m sad to be leaving here, it is with great pleasure that I announce that my fellow graduate, Natalie, will be taking over my blogging responsibilities.
Natalie and I started the graduate program at the same time and we have shared many great professional experiences. She’s coming along to Marketing with me as Assistant Brand Manager for Nurofen, so please welcome Natalie as she shares her experiences and insights in her new role!

A career at RB means you will work in a fast-moving and demanding environment where you will be expected to produce real results.
It’s a steep learning curve. You will need to have strength of character, be driven and confident and genuinely committed to your career.
It is not the place for everyone.

However, if you’re the sort of person who wants to make an impact, a career at RB means you will be exposed to international experiences in positions that will test your strengths. You will be pushed to use your initiative and creativity to the full. And if you truly want it, a career at RB will give you the platform to launch an international career with a truly global innovator.

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So how do you go about discovering if you are an ‘RB person’?

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We launched this blog in May 2009 as a place where RB employees could give first-hand stories of the experiences, the highs, the lows, the triumphs and the lessons learned in their careers.
It was designed to open a window on RB, to showcase the opportunities available and the sort of people who thrive here.
Today, I want to tell you about my vision of this company. Of the people who have made RB one of the corporate success stories of the past 10 years.
I want to tell you about the people we want and the career you can expect when you work here.

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Primarily we are looking for true talent; people who are hungry for the opportunity and freedom to make their mark.
We are looking for people with drive, resilience and passion; with real motivation. People who feel empowered not just by great results but by knowing that they were behind them. And then want to push themselves, their project even further.
It’s a demanding environment, but it is also highly rewarding.

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Innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit sit as one of the cornerstones of this business.
Rather than endless layers of management that tend to plague many large organisations, RB has small teams and few processes.
And so, we actually encourage ‘constructive conflict’!
When there is a group of people who feel passionately about a set of ideas, I want to ensure those ideas are allowed to flourish. They should not be silenced by the majority consensus. And if they come armed with facts and are prepared to argue their point of view, they will be encouraged to keep working away until they find something our consumers like.
Of course, this can lead to some lively meetings, but this is about finding a way to take it forward; building on each other’s ideas rather than sitting around a table and coming up with a consensus opinion.
We make our decisions fast and then we all stand behind them.
Does that sound like your sort of company?

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One of the most important facets of RB is our culture of global mobility: a culture we have been building over the past 10 years.
We believe this is one of the best ways to generate new ideas and to create global entrepreneurs.
Employees are encouraged to move around the world regularly, often doing different jobs.
By moving people around they become better and more rounded managers. It means they are able to manage an international business with a portfolio of global brands.
And we encourage employees to focus on the best job possible for them, regardless of country.
For you that means the unique opportunity to grow your career on a world stage.
For RB it means we are a truly global company.

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We have enjoyed steady, profitable growth – even during the downturn – and our growth has outpaced that of all our big competitors.
And that is down to our culture and the people who work here.
The RB life isn’t for everyone. But those who love it really love it and find a rewarding and successful career.

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If you were about to purchase a Clearasil product, would it matter if you knew they were manufactured by the same company that owned Airwick, Veet and Finish?

Perhaps you might not pay particular attention to the parent company when buying a branded product, but when you’re looking for Marketing Graduate Programs in the FMCG industry, it important to understand who produces what and which company has a portfolio of strong brands to work for…

Think back to before you started Marketing 101, would you have known who manufactured Pringles or Dove? Why is it that most consumers are familiar with Nestle and Johnson & Johnson’s portfolio of products, but generally draw a blank when we’re asked about Reckitt Benckiser or Henkel?

It boils down to whether a company’s strategy is to individually brand or umbrella brand their portfolio of products – and both strategies have their own merits. We may have strong, recognisable brands amongst our 17 global power brands, but I’m sure our name does not come to mind when you’re planning which marketing/sales job to apply for, even though RB is one of the top performing FMCG companies in the world and just recently, our RB UK Marketing Director topped the list of UK’s most influential people in the Marketing industry. 

As a graduate, what resources do you have to find out about FMCG companies? When I was in my penultimate year at university, I went on Wikipedia.org and typed in ’FMCG’, firstly to see what it meant (!), but secondly to find out which companies fell into this category. From there, I went to each local corporate website and had a look at which ones were offering internships, graduate programs or entry level jobs.

Alternatively, you can go to your local supermarket or department store and look at the labels on recognised brands to find which parent company they belong to…you may be shocked to find that there are only a handful of key players in the market!

I think it’s important to research and investigate which company culture suits you – from reading their company brochures to attending career fairs where you can ask the graduates themselves, its vital to know what you’re getting yourself into. As mentioned most recently in my colleague Chris’ blog post, RB is not for everyone but if you share our cultural values of achievement, team spirit, entrepreneurship and ownership, you will thrive at RB.

What is RB doing to increase its corporate profile? In 2009, we updated our corporate logo to the high performance, pink kite display to better reflect the fast, direct and strong nature of our business and our brands. We have a strong presence on social network websites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube –do you remember last year’s Facebook campaign where RB challenged users to upload videos of their suggestions for innovative products that would meet the needs of people going to music festivals?

Given that there are only a handful of global FMCG companies operating in Australia/New Zealand, you need to do your homework early or risk missing out some great opportunities that can take your career to the next level. Mind you, not everyone has a graduate program or positions in your country but at least you can have peace of mind know about any opportunities that do exist.

I don’t need to tell you that Marketing is a well sought after career and that the applicant pool is competitive, but do your research and you might just end up on top!

It’s a word we hear thrown around all the time these days by companies.
But what does it mean in the business world? And HOW do you actually go about making it an intrinsic part of a company?

And what can it mean for YOU as an employee?

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RB is driven by innovation.
It’s not just a part of who we are, it is our primary objective. Our company culture is steeped in it. It is what has made us the success story we are to date.

We are the world’s fastest growing company in household cleaning, health and personal care and it is our systematic approach to innovation which holds the key to this success. Nearly 40 % of our sales come from products launched in the past 3 years.
And everyone, from the CEO down, is motivated to drive innovation.

This is something which was recognised by The Economist when RB was given their Innovation Award.
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The power behind RBs innovation is its people – both the consumers and the employees.
Consumers are put at the very centre of our decision-making – RB wants to discover the small ways we can make life better for them. And then give it to them.
And so we build consumers into our product development – we spend time with them to discover their insights at every step.

But it’s also about the people who work here.

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Even during the recession RB showed strong sales and profit growth – quite an achievement. But this was all down to the strength of our innovative and  entrepreneurial company culture.
Talented people don’t want to work in an environment where they feel bogged down with bureaucracy. They want to get things done; to work somewhere where their ideas are accepted.
And for innovation speed is crucial. And this is why we are a ‘principle’ oriented company rather than a ‘process’ oriented one.

It’s all about letting people have ownership of their ideas and not putting too many decision layers in their way.

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Of course, this kind of life isn’t for everyone. But those who love it really love it. It’s exciting, fast paced and challenging. You are learning very quickly and there is a buzz about your career.

You can also check out our IdeaLink website which enables us to work with innovators outside the company.

I think it’s fair to say that RB is different.
Certainly it is the most successful consumer goods company of the decade; and probably it’s the most demanding, international and fast paced.
Not just anyone can work here, in fact it takes a certain type of person to thrive at RB. And not everyone will stay, but while you’re here you’ll be making consumer products history.

In an article just published in the Harvard Business Review, my boss Bart Becht talks about what makes RB tick – what makes RB really quite different from anywhere else I have ever experienced.

And when friends ask me what it’s like working here I describe it as like driving a Lotus 7 racing car: Dead simple, all engine and no frills – and quite a white knuckle ride!
You know you’re going to go fast, but quite how fast is up to you and how hard you press on the gas. And if you go too fast and slip and skid, it’s down to you to do a nifty manoeuvre to get it back on track and keep racing.

For people who like the freedom to make things happen and who are driven to make their mark, it’s an energising place to be. It feels a bit like working in the United Nations of business – with people from all over the world – and people who love to live in different places around the world and feed their spirit with different experiences and places.

My role is an interesting one. I remember to this day my interviews for the job. I wanted to join because I was fascinated by the business. It had this amazing performance reputation with other FMCGs (I was in one of them before) and I wanted to see what RB was really like.
I met people – very different people – yet some things were really similar about them. They had real soul. They were irreverent; down to earth – no airs and graces – all not British and they all laughed. Imagine that – having a laugh in an interview!
They challenged me and I challenged back… and we got on just fine.

So what do I do? Why was I employed? Well it’s simple really. We aren’t known amongst people who’d really enjoy working here. My job is to make us known – not amongst everybody. A person buying Dettol doesn’t need to know RB (there’s no corporate arrogance on that front here). But people who might work here, they need to know us. So I do our PR, our on-line presence (well, a couple of fab team members do it and I help them.. a bit).
I do our crisis management (yes, things go wrong when you manufacture stuff and people need guidance on what to do when the unexpected happens), I speak to financial journalists, speak to universities, and I get to do our branding.

That was fun – rebranding the company. Our old brand just wasn’t RB – too boring by half, too old. People here are anything but boring and I’m one of the oldest – now that’s a career first! Our new brand is quite ballsie; more attitude in it – more punchy and more RB in every way. I also get to set the goal for what we should do for Save the Children all over the world – imagine that. A company that says – OK, you think that’s important? Go do something about it! Of course I am held accountable for delivery too – but that’s OK. I just want the chance, as their cause is so important.

What fascinates me is why some people would chose to apply for a job or apply to a graduate scheme here and why others wouldn’t.
I suppose it’s down to what people want from life and what they like in a job. Me? I like people with strong intellects, strong opinions and who laugh a lot – and who don’t think in stereotypes.

At RB I like the fact that I hear different accents everywhere, and have heated discussions in the coffee bar about which nation has the best coffee, the best tea, which usually progress to opinionated debates about the best fashion houses or best footballers! What I like even more is I am free to do what I do well. That’s the deal here. You get direction on what to aim for. But how to get there – now that’s up to you… you can’t imagine how good that feels! Or maybe you can…

What have you heard about RB? What would you want to ask? What would stop you going for it?
I’m here to answer your questions.